Saturday, February 14, 2015

Here I come to save V-Daaaaaay...

If you're looking for the perfect MEH!Valentine's Day movie list to wash out the bad taste left in your mouth from viewing Fifty Shades of Grey, do I have a treat for you! Eheh. I've compiled a tiny list of movies that I've enjoyed (plus a new one!) every craptastical Valentine's Night-In. Be warned; only two out of the four are actual romances.

1.) Maurice
Maurice (James Wilby) and his friend Clive (Hugh Grant) fall in love at university. Their super-secret intimacy continues for a few years after until Clive gives Maurice up in favor of society and marriage, leaving Maurice devastated and alone. In an effort to rid himself of his homosexuality, he sees a hypnotist (Ben Kingsley), but it is only through his blossoming relationship with Clive's down-to-Earth under-gameskeeper that Maurice is able to accept himself and move on.
This movie has been Numero Uno on my list as far as romances go, and a young smoldering Rupert Graves as Alec helps too. A very classy and tender love story.

2.) Bright Star
You know the song that goes, "We don't have to take our clothes off/to have a good time/no no"? Yep, cuz back in the day, saving yourself for marriage AND wooing-through-poetry seemed a hella lot more sexy. Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw play Fanny Brawne and John Keats in this film by Jane Campion, who is famous for 1993's The Piano. A true romanitic film that inspired me to read and appreciate more of everything, not just poetry.

3.) Under the Skin
Didn't I mention that only two of the four movies listed were honest-to-God romances?

I'd already seen this one but The Hubs hadn't so I bought the DVD and we sat down last night to watch together. Scarlet Johansson plays an alien being who goes around Scotland in her van, picking up unsuspecting men who are never seen again. Won't go into further detail. This movie is something to be experienced. I definitely loved ScarJo's performance AND her look - dark wavy hair and eyes, red lips. I like to compare it to her more mainstream role as the Black Widow in Captain America 2 where her makeup was sparse and simple (so as not to overshadow her badassery).

4.) Picnic at Hanging Rock
Based on the 1967 book by Joan Lindsay, three schoolgirls and their teacher go missing during an outing to Hanging Rock on Valentine's Day 1900. What better way to celebrate!

Honestly, this movie had me creeped out for nearly two weeks. There are no jump-scares, no scenes of a gorey nature, not even an oppressive air of dread if you don't count poor Sara's plight. The cinematography is gorgeous and dreamy, the music is haunting, and the big question is never resolved. This movie will haunt you long after you've watch it.

Voila! My Valentine's Night-In movie list, hope one of them will get you through this weekend. If not, there's always the cinema. And ladies, if your man suggests it be romantic if you two go out and see Fifty Shades of Grey, even as a joke like The Hubs had the galls to do...

THE HUBS: So we try that sushi place near King Soopers, then we do the grocery shopping, then we drop off the groceries at home, then we go the animal control office just to look at kitties, then we go to Fort Carson, then we go see 'Fifty Shades of Grey'.